Barcelona Insider

Comic book fans in Barcelona will have a unique opportunity to witness the official unveiling of a unique new edition in the Batman series next month.

Batman in Batman Begins

A special Batman comic book set in the city of Barcelona will be launched at the International Comic Fair on May 29th.

The cover for the new edition – which was designed by Jim Lee, who has provided illustrations for previous Batman, X-Men and Punisher comics – shows the Caped Crusader standing in front of Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia.

A foreword by Barcelona mayor Jordi Hereu will also be included in the 48-page comic, which will be published simultaneously in Spain, Italy and the United States.

Batman appeared in his first self-titled comic book in 1940, marking the beginning of a series that would go on to be one of the most famous ever created.

The International Comic Fair will be held at Fira de Barcelona from May 29th to June 1st and will welcome comic book artists and writers from all over the world to north-east Spain.

Motorsport fans will be booking their cheap hotels in Barcelona soon to see the sixth race in the 2009 MotoGP World Championship.

Barcelona Moto GP

The race will be held at the Circuit de Catalunya just outside Barcelona on June 14th.

Casey Stoner recently took an early lead in the 2009 MotoGP World Championship when he won the first race of the season in Qatar.

Reigning champion Valentino Rossi came in second and Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo completed the top three.

Motegi in Japan will be the next stop in the World Championship season on April 26th, followed by races in Jerez, Le Mans and Mugello before the showdown at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The MotoGP grand prix will not be the only major motorsport event coming to Barcelona this year, with the fourth race in the 2009 Formula One season due to be held in the Catalan capital on May 10th.

Lewis Hamilton and his fellow F1 drivers will return to Spain in August for the Grand Prix of Europe in Valencia.

Music fans will be setting off on Barcelona breaks over the coming months to join in with a celebration of one of the world’s most popular musical instruments.

Barcelona Guitar Festival

The Guitar Festival got underway in the Catalan capital on March 24th and will provide musical entertainment for visitors to Barcelona up to June 18th.

On April 24th, the Palau de la Musica Catalana will play host to David Byrne, one of the founding members of the band Talking Heads, who will perform music he has created in collaboration with Brian Eno.

Madeleine Peyroux will play at the same venue on May 8th, followed by American rock great Jackson Browne on May 13th.

Other venues participating in the Guitar Festival include Bikini and Luz de Gas, as well as L’Auditori, which will host a gig by Wilco on June 4th.

Trips to Barcelona will also be popular with music fans this year when the city hosts two major festivals – Primavera (May 28th to 30th) and Sonar (June 18th to 20th).

The turbulent but fascinating history of China is the focus of a new exhibition that will be open in Barcelona over the coming months.

China Flags

Entitled China: Portrait of a Country, the photographic showcase opened at Casa Asia this week and will remain on display until May 17th.

The exhibition includes a wide range of images that document the development of China and the experiences of its people from 1949 up to the present day.

Many of the pictures in the display are extremely rare and are therefore considered of great historical and cultural importance.

The Casa Asia exhibition also includes screenings of the film trilogy China: A Century of Revolution, which has never been shown in Spain before.

Another recent opening at Casa Asia explores the work of the Japanese architect Toyo Ito and his interest in the concept of the human being and architecture being integrated into one.

This show will be open until May 29th.

Barcelona’s visitors could soon sense a new feeling of optimism and vibrancy around the Avinguda Paral-lel area as a result of a major development project being launched.

The city council and the El Molino foundation reached a deal to turn Paral-lel into a hub for leisure and recreation, culture, commercial activity and civic business.

Announcing the partnership, Barcelona mayor Jordi Hereu proclaimed that the council was trying to build “a 21st century Paral-lel”.

Elvira Vazquez, chairwoman of the El Molino group, said: “We want Paral-lel to realise its potential as a strategic hub and a driving force for street culture.”

Through the improvement of this important thoroughfare, the city of Barcelona will be “giving a boost to its own shared, welcoming and public-spirited values”, Ms Vazquez added.

Barcelona recently secured a major boost to its summer tourism prospects with the news that U2 will be kicking off their European tour with a gig at the Nou Camp stadium on June 30th. Plus with the new season at Tibidabo, now is a great time to visit the city. A good place to start looking for cheap hotels in Barcelona is Hotels Hotels Hotels. These guys have good deals on literally hundreds of hotels in Barcelona and are well worth checking out.

There is so much to do, so many things to see and such a wealth of experiences on offer in Barcelona that it can sometimes be a challenge deciding where to go first. For those planning their first visit to this unique European city, here is a list of five attractions that should not be missed.

Las Ramblas

Running from the bustling square of Placa de Catalunya to the Christopher Columbus monument at Port Vell, Las Ramblas is Barcelona’s most famous street, a popular meeting point for both tourists and locals. A walk along this vibrant thoroughfare offers a perfect introduction to Barcelona, with street entertainers, cafés, market stalls and shops providing a charismatic representation of life in the city. Located along Las Ramblas is the Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona’s best-known street market, as well as the Centre d’Art Santa Monica and the Gran Teatre del Liceu opera house.

As well as providing a memorable experience in itself, Las Ramblas offers access to Barcelona’s Barri Gotic, or old town, which lies to the east of the street. This area gives visitors the chance to explore the Barcelona of times gone by, with medieval buildings, historic museums and the stunning La Seu cathedral.

The Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia is one of Barcelona’s iconic tourist attractions, a towering Roman Catholic church designed by Antoni Gaudi, a pioneer of the ‘modernista’ style of architecture that can be seen in a number of locations around Barcelona. Gaudi oversaw the beginning of construction work on the Sagrada Familia in 1882 and, so ambitious was the project, the church is still being built today. The most striking aspects of the building are its intricately detailed gothic towers and its facades depicting different scenes from the Bible. Visitors to the Sagrada Familia can head to the church’s museum to learn more about its history and ongoing construction, with exhibits including original models designed by Gaudi.

Other notable examples of modernist architecture around the city include La Pedrera, Casa Batllo, Casa Calvet and Casa de les Punxes.

The Camp Nou

Sports fans will already be well aware of the significance of football in Barcelona and the almost god-like status that FC Barcelona and its players have in the city. The huge part that football plays in the lives of local people is represented in the size of Barca’s legendary stadium, the Camp Nou. Construction of the arena as it appears now began in 1954 and lasted three years, with the official inauguration of the ground taking place in September 1957. With an impressive capacity of more than 98,000, it is the largest stadium in Europe and the 11th largest in the world.

Barca are currently leading Spain’s Primera Liga and will face home games against Athletic Bilbao (March 8th), Sevilla (April 22nd), Villarreal (May 10th) and other big sides before the end of the season.

Tibidabo

Tibidabo is a mountain to the north of Barcelona that offers stunning views across the city and its Mediterranean coastline. On a clear day, of which there are many in Barcelona, visitors can see as far as the Montserrat and Pyrenees mountains and even across the sea to the island of Mallorca. At the top of the mountain is the Sagrat Cor church, a telecommunications tower and the popular amusement park. The park boasts a mix of traditional and high-tech attractions and can be considered a smaller cousin to PortAventura, the theme park that can be reached by taking a day-trip from Barcelona.

One of the most popular ways of reaching the summit of Tibidabo is the funicular railway. Visitors can bring their day on the mountain to an end by exploring the surrounding Parc de Collserola or heading to the nearby Museu de la Ciencia.

Museums and galleries

Barcelona has a rich and distinguished cultural history, which is explored in its many museums and galleries. One of the city’s most famous artistic sons is Joan Miro, whose experimental and surrealist work earned him international acclaim. At the Fundacio Joan Miro, visitors can see many of the artist’s greatest works as well as pieces by other visionaries that are presented in regular exhibitions. Barcelona is also home to a foundation devoted to the abstract expressionist painter and sculptor Antoni Tapies. The institution is currently undergoing renovation work and is due to reopen in the spring.

Arguably the most famous Spanish painter of all is Pablo Picasso, considered by many to be the greatest artist of the 20th century. While he was not born in Barcelona like Miro or Tapies, he had strong links with the city and with Catalonia, which are explored at the Museu Picasso. The highlights of the museum’s collection include pieces by Picasso inspired by Diego Velazquez’s Las Meninas and portraits of the artist’s family members.

People with a passion for modern art will find plenty more to interest them at the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, while the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya offers a broader view of Catalonia’s creative culture and history.